music that somehow stirs up and soothes my soul, all at the same time.
Last Monday night, I volunteered at the Compassion International table
that was set in the lobby of a small local church during a concert.
I am a big fan of the work that Compassion does
to “release children from poverty in Jesus’ name,”
and that night, a dozen people signed up to become sponsors!
Halleljuah!
I didn’t know who was performing at this concert when I agreed to work the table,
so imagine my delight when the emcee welcomed Bethany Dillon to the stage!
She is my new favorite artist, as of three weeks ago when I first bought her CDs
– recommended to me by my squadmate Lindsey Hogg –
and started listening to them non-stop in my car!
Now, imagine my surprise when this famous Christian artist took the stage,
and it was the girl in T-shirt and jeans that I had just been talking to in the lobby!
Yeah, I didn’t even recognize her because I had no reason to associate her with this environment.
She was so laid-back and cool that I didn’t want to harrass her for a photo-op with me later,
especially since I was already on the verge of becoming a hyper-fanatic!
As she introduced her songs, Beth jokingly complained
about constantly traveling with a dozen smelly guys – sounds familiar,
and about her new husband who serves as a mirror for her – also very familiar.
She also spoke of how hard it to spend time with the Lord because she is rarely alone.
Tell me about it! When Lindsey used to go off and have quiet i-pod time with Bethany,
I’d listen to the glorious tunes of Tara-Leigh Cobble.
(Tara-Leigh makes incredible music, and she writes books.
And she’s friends with my friends, Mandy & Paul!)
Like I said, there’s just something about a voice and a guitar.
Music is so powerful … the melodies, the rhythm,
the words – when they seem to speak directly to your soul,
and, oh, especially when the singer herself speaks to you like a friend!
I met another awesome young female Christian artist
at World Race training camp last month.
Rachael Hurt is a very talented singer/songwriter and worship leader.
She compares her sound to Francesca Battistelli, if you’re familiar with her (also very good!).
She, Rachael, is selling her CDs to raise support for her mission trip –
she’s launching in January 2010.
So click here to order one, and
go to i-tunes to check out these other ladies’ music.
And if you can recommend any other musicians to me,
write a comment below. Thanks!
I also want to thank all the girls – and guys – who performed for us and led us in worship
with their guitars during the World Race. 🙂
